ElCan lenses & cameras

Somebody asked about Leica Canada lenses and cameras. I can't find
the posting, but here's is what I know (just off the top of my head).
ElCan (Ernst Leitz Canada) was set up in 1952 and the factory was
finished in 1953. Production was aimed at producing both civilian and
military optics/cameras. In the late 1990 the plant was sold to
Hughes Aerospace and later Rayethon took over. The last Leica camera
lens produced was the Noctilux (they still supply optical assemblies
for these lenses to Leica Germany.
Here is my,incomplete list, of ElCan produced Leica stuff:
Leica IIIf and IIf engraved Leica/Midland
Leica 72 (half frame) Made in Canada, but some had Made in Germany
top-plates on them. It was a camera designed for scientific work and
German universities were encouraged to by Made in Germany products.
Stereo Elmar (35mm and 33 mm)
Summarit 50/1,5 Engraved Leica/Midland
Hektor 125/2,5 Some were engraved Leica/Germany but they all came
from Canada.
Summicron 90/2 SOOZY version screwmount with adapter for M
M-stuff
28/2,8 Elmarit M
35/2 Summicron
35/1,4 Summilux (non-aspheric)
50/2 Summicron
75/1,4 Summilux
90/2 Summicron M-mount (until the 90 Apo/Aspherical
135/2,8 Elmarit (the "goggled" one)
200/4 Telyt (Viso lens)
280/4,8 Telyt (Viso lens)

Prototypes for M's
75/2,4 Apo-Elmarit M
28/2 Summicron (in 1970)
and there are many more of these prototypes around. Many are stuck in
desk drawers of retired Leitz Canada employees

M-Bodies:
M2 engraved Leitz Canada
M3 engraved Leitz Canada
1/2 frame M2's
M4 "Midland" - some of these had Leitz Germany top-plates, but most,
if not all were made in Midland
M4-2 All were made in Midland.
M4-P All made in Midland
The early M6's also came from Canada.

Leica Canada also made highly specialized optics for the US Military'
180/3,4 Apo-Telyt (6-7 were made in M-mount with goggles - the rest
were R-mounts)
66mm/f2 Ultra high resolution lens in M-mount - not coupled to the
rangefinder.
50/2 Elcan for the KE-7 Military M4.
There is also a whole series of lenses made for photogrametrical
imaging. Most of these are small runs of orders. I have seen
560/5,6 "clusters" (4 lenses covering 5x5 each - mounted on a 10x10
plate and attached to a Wild/Leitz 10 inch aerial camera.
250/4 designed for infrared - one element is a ruby red glass or
crystal.
90/1 Elcan in M-mount. No helicoil as it used rings to set the
focussing distance.
6"/f2,8 Aerial lens. Quite common, often seen adapted to old 6x9
Speed Graphics.
2"/2 and 1,5"/f2 Aerial lenses (these were fairly extreme wide-
angles covering 120 film or 70mm perforated film. Big, heavy cameras
and many were used on Harrier jets during the Falkland war in
1982.Some can be adapted to other cameras, but the film to lens
flange distance was very short.
There was also a series of R-lens prototypes, including a 75/2 Apo.
ElCan also designed ultra high reolution enlargers, the ElCan 121 -
it will resolve 275 lines/millimeter on the easel! About 6 times what
you can get with a conventional enlarging system. Probably less than
10-12 made. It came with a series of lenses, a 25mm, a 50/2 and a
75/2 enlarging lens. The 50/2 was a modified DR Summicron.
There is a reason why most Leica M advertising from the 60's until
late 90's always showed a 50 Summilux on the body. It was virtually
the only M-lens made in Germany since 1960 until the Aspherical
35/1,4.
Midland had the benefit of Dr Mandler, one of the foremost lens
designers ever and also that they were outside of the heavily
bureaucratic Wetzlar plant. If Midland wanted to make it, they just
went ahead and did it and never bothered Wetzlar with corporate
discussions. A lot of strange M cameras came out of there, 1/2 frame
M4-2's, some 1/2 frame Md-2's, 30 chrome M4-2's and the "Israeli Tank
Command" olive green M4-2 version. Some of these were made
for "friends" of the company and some were bona fide special order
items.
The Wetzlar plant stagnated in the 70's - very little creative
design was done there. Midland was the creative source in many
aspects. There is very little research being done on the Midland
production. Leica Germany is not too interested in it and the current
management of ElCan/Rayethon bluntly tells you "No" to any request
for information. They make satellite imaging stuff and super
sophisticated gun sights and understandibly cant be bothered with
some Leica fanatic trying to unearth obscure lens or camera
information for old stuff. For a good 25 years, 1965 to 1990 Midland
was probably the top optical facility in the world, both as designers
and manufacturers.
Occasionally you hear "I prefer the German Summicron to the Canadian
one". Sometimes they even carry a price premium! Most of these lenses
were made in Canada and shipped to Germany minus the front ring and
rear mount = labelled as "parts" and with far less duty than a
finished lens. Wetzlar put on a rear mount and a front ring suitably
engraved Made in Germany - and they were, both the rear mount and the
front ring! The parts that really counted were all made in Canada.
Tom A

Tom, very interesting Leica historical information. May be you should
consider writing a book about this facinating period of Leica history
by interviewing retired former Elcaners. A book with history of Elcan, Dr. Walter Mandler biography, his epoch making contribution to lens design, Elcan lenses with pictures, serial numbers, production dates, Elcan Leica bodies with pictures, serial numbers, production
dates, Elcan special projects; bibliography, including a list of
Dr. Mandler's articles....

I realize this is a late response, but I recently came by three Elcans made for Vinten F95 aerial cameras as flew on, among other aircraft, Harriers -- 1.75"/2.8, 3"/2.0, and 6"/2.8 -- and have a little to add about them. I got my Elcans with the intention of using them on a 2x3 Speed Graphic.

The 1.75" is an easy fit. Its rear section passes through the lens throat with a little room to spare. It focuses to infinity with the front standard on the inner rails. It can, in fact, be focused well through infinity on my camera.

The 3" and 6", however, can't be used on my camera. Their barrels are too large to clear the front standard and both have back focus shorter than the camera's minimum flange-to-film distance.

Tom was mistaken about 6" Elcans on "6x9 Speed Graphics" or was thinking of a different lens than the 6"/2.8 I have.